1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording/reproducing apparatus and, more particularly, to an apparatus suitable for use as a digital audio tape recorder.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Digital audio tape recorders which have been developed are of the fixed head type or the rotary head type. In a recorder of the fixed head type, a signal is recorded on a number of tracks parallel to the longitudinal direction of a magnetic tape using a multitrack fixed head. In a recorder of the rotary head type, a signal is recorded on tracks inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction of a magnetic tape by helically scanning the tape with a rotary head.
When an audio signal or other similar data is recorded by a digital audio tape recorder, a PCM audio signal is recorded on a predetermined region of a tape, and subcode data including a program identifying number, position data such as a time code and other necessary auxiliary data are recorded on another region of the tape. The position of the tape can be determined at any time on the basis of the subcode data, and tape-topping and the like can be performed in a search mode.
Since the subcode data includes data which changes with time, the data is continuously and entirely recorded for each program. For example, when music is being recorded, each song or tune is considered a program, and the time code, the program identifying number and the like are recorded from the beginning to the end of the respective program. In that case, when a plurality of programs are recorded in succession on a single tape during a single recording operation, the program identifying numbers "1","2","3", . . . are recorded in accordance with the recording order of the programs or songs.
Generally, when a user performs recording with a tape recorder, he rarely records a plurality of programs on a single virgin or previously unrecorded tape from a tape top to a tape end in a single recording operation. Normally, several programs are recorded in sequence in a first or single recording operation, and later, other programs are recorded in sequence starting immediately after the previously recorded programs, or another program is recorded to at least partly overlap programs already recorded on the tape.
For this reason, when m programs are recorded in a second recording operation after n programs have been recorded in a first recording operation, and the identifying program numbers "1" to "n" are recorded for identifying the originally recorded n programs, the program numbers "1" to "m" are recorded for identifying the m programs. Therefore, a plurality of the same program identifying numbers are recorded on a single tape, thereby completely losing the continuity and uniqueness of the program numbers required for identifying the various programs. In this manner, tape-topping cannot be performed.
In order to solve this problem, after a recording operation for a tape has been completed, the program identifying numbers can be renumbered to be in proper sequence. However, since each program identifying number is recorded over an entire program, renumbering takes the same time as was required for recording all of the programs. For example, when the programs are recorded on a tape for 180 minutes, the program identifying numbers can be renumbered by driving the tape at the same speed as was used for recording for 180 minutes. Moreover, since the program identifying numbers are recorded in the regions of the subcode data, it is very difficult to control renumbering timing.